Virus TI - what cables are you using for recording?

  • Hi, I'm looking to buy some decent cables for my new TI, and I'm torn between using my set of planet waves guitar leads (which I've been happily using with my old virus A), or investing in a set of TRS leads, such as Mogami or Canare .


    Can anyone make any recommendations and share their experiences with these brands? Are they too clean sounding, or do you find them a nice companion for the TI? The kind of sound I'm after is slightly gritty and analog, kind of like my Virus A


    Thanks a lot!

  • Hi, Just using `any old cable' is not something I want to do with a Synth of this calibre. I was hoping someone could give me some feedback on the character of Mogami and Canare Cables with the TI, or some of the other better cable brands.

  • There are 4 main factors that make a great cable great.


    1. Its shielding type. (Braided is the best.)
    2. Its connector. (Gold is the best.)
    3. Its composition. (Oxygen free copper is prime.)
    4. Number of strands. (Over 40 is optimal.)


    Mogami TRS and Livewire Elite TRS cables are what I use and they sound clear. They are the most transparent cables I have used. They are one of the best. The Mogami and the Livewire Elite (Hosa) are the same cable with one exception. The Mogami has 50 strands of 99.9% oxygen free copper, while the Livewire Elite has 127 strands. For a comparison, high end Monster cables at best only have 30 strands, but they are still awesome.


    I hope this helps you more.

  • Thanks a lot Ionis, Yes that helps me out a lot and I really appreciate your knowledge on strand count too. As you prolly know, there is a lot of info on the net about cables, but many of the opinions I've read are from guitarists seeking a slightly different sound to me. Seems that solid-core cables such as evidence are the favourites amongst guitarists, followed closely by Mogami.


    I've pretty much decided to test things out for myself, with a strong leaning towards Mogami. I'm also buying a small quantity of canare and monster cables to test out as well...nothing too expensive and I'll probably sell what I don't use. The virus has such a unique sound to it, and I'm curious to see how cabling influences its character, and whether a transparent sound, like Mogami offers, is going to work best with it.


    Thanks again for your help.


    PS. Interesting to hear about the HOSA livewire Elite. Hosa gets a bad rap, but I don't think people realize they have a lot of good stuff in their range, beyond the rubbery, cheap coloured cables (which really aren't too bad either if they are kept very short)

  • Just as an update, I decided to try out some different TRS cables from Monster, Canare, and Mogami, as well as some generic Digital 110 ohm patch cable. I purchased just a handful of cables second hand on ebay.


    In terms of sound, I dunno, I think you'd have to know your Virus very well to pick up on any major differences. All of them sound great to me and any differences between them are minor at short lengths. I mean I could say `that cable sounds brighter' and `this cable sounds creamier' but I'm left wondering if I'm just imagining the differences.


    I'll probably end up using the generic Digital 110 ohm patch cable for most of my rig because, theoretically, it should transmit the most audio detail because of its lower capacitance. Its also extremely quiet. But I'll definitely keep the Mogami and Monster cables as well because I really like the way they sound, and they have Neutrik Gold connectors which are nice too.


    For some reason I found the Canare cables a bit noisier than the others, but they are second hand so maybe they just need some re-soldering or something.

  • Fringe, do high end cables seem to really make a difference for digital connections to you?
    i.e. S/PDIF and MIDI.


    Wow, sorry for the super late reply, never did visit this thread again. To be honest, I have no clue if they are better as I never compared. I was told Mogami was the way to go so that is the way I went first time around. Never really did use so called 'lower quality' cables. I still hear Mogami touted as being up there in terms of quality so I never did regret my purchase and decide to look elsewhere. They sound good to me, that is all I know. Built fairly rugged, no noise etc.